February Balanced Life Goals

When I do my monthly balanced life goals, I picture a wheel with several spokes, each spoke representing an aspect of my life that is important to me.  Ideally, each spoke is of equal length and the arcs drawn between the spokes are equally rounded to make a perfectly circular rim around the wheel, without any bump-outs or indents.  A well-balanced wheel results in a smoother ride; a wonky wheel results in a bumpy ride.

Some areas are on the list because I want them there.  A lot of them are areas in which I tend to do rather well, such as Spiritual, Daughter, Financial, etc.  I could leave them out and still do well, because those areas are tended to almost automatically, but then, that wouldn't give a proper picture of my life and I want to be able to see that I did touch upon those rather important areas of my life. 

At the same time, there are other areas that I want on the list, which are important to me but don't get quite as much attention as I would like to give them!   Unfortunately, as one of my good friends pointed out to me, privately, they tend to be in the Self Care category and include Health and Leisure!  I have been trying to make them more of a priority, especially after she pointed it out to me!  It might mean that I need to spend less time and energy doing certain other things, but, I am struggling to figure out what those might be!  

Others are there because I think I should have them there!  Environment-House, for example!  LOL.  I don't necessarily want to do a lot of house cleaning, but, I like having a relatively clean, tidy, and organized house.  It's not quite there yet, so I keep it on the list and that helps me to keep at it.

Taken together, I like to think they make a rounded, well-balanced life.  Some areas get minimal attention because that's all I want to do!   Other areas tend to get minimal attention because that's all I can manage   Ideally, they all get equal attention and everything is nicely plumped out.  Until then, I will wobble along.

Having said all that, here are my February Goals for a Balanced Life:

Spiritual:  The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life.
- Continue with daily prayers and gratitude; focus on being positive

- Take time for meditation

- Cultivate non-attachment  - declutter 3 items/day in February, too, for a total of 84 items.

- Attend the monthly prayer gathering, if possible (don't know when it will be held, who will host, how I will feel after surgery, etc.)

- Visit the temple and give a donation of alms in memory of my mother

Environment:  The goal is a clean, tidy, uncluttered house and a well-maintained garden.

House: 

- Focus on decluttering and maintaining cleaned areas

Garden:
- Maintain (water 2x per week; weed)

- Prepare a planting bed & scatter some flower seeds

 

Daughter:  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her.

- Daily texts, phone calls, emails, and video chatting

- Be supportive of her career plans by continuing to be a sounding board

- Look forward to her coming to be with me during my surgery

Family & Friends:  The goal is to keep in touch with various family members and friends.

- Call, email, etc.  (have already exchanged several emails with one cousin; called aunt C, this morning)

- Wish cousin and nephew on their birthdays - wished cousin, already; nephew's birthday is next week

- Will be seeing several members of the family and friends at the monthly prayer gathering, if attending

- Weekly calls with neighbor T

Community:  The goal is to become more involved in my community

- Continue to participate in the blogging community

Career:  The goal is to continue to do work which I enjoy (for the most part) and which enables me to support myself.

- Continue to do my assignments in a timely manner 

 

Finances:  The goal is financial security.

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose - anticipated large expenses this month will include the second installment of my property tax

Health & Well Being:  The goal is good health.

- Schedule surgery 

- Attend the appointments with my various medical doctors - 2 scheduled so far, there might be a 3rd.

- Continue to go for additional screening tests, as needed - 1 blood test scheduled

- Continue to monitor blood pressure, sugar levels, and weight

- Continue to focus on a healthier diet (more vegetables!), drinking enough water (8x 8oz), exercising regularly (walk for 30 minutes), and getting sufficient sleep (11:30 p.m. bed time during the work week!)

- Focus on accomplishments and staying positive

Time Management:  The goal is having enough time to do all what I want to do!

- Procrastinate less

- Implement routines and schedules

 

One of the areas I am struggling with the most!   

 
Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time:  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.

- Set aside 30 minutes a day to do something relaxing, such as reading books, or doing a craft, that is not blogging!  LOL!  I can easily spend the entire evening reading blogs and writing up a blog post! 

I have reworded this goal in an attempt to make it easier to achieve!  Is that cheating?

So, those are my goals for February!  Is anyone else making monthly goals?